Matt attended Roanoke college partly because “the nearby mountains reminded me of my hometown in Nelson County, Virginia” and partly because the small class sizes, while making sleeping in class a difficult habit to develop, encouraged “intense classroom participation.”

After college, Matt worked with Grandin Gardens' Properties on a project focusing on environmentally-safe practices and urban agriculture. The project consists of an acre of land, two multi-use buildings and two houses, used for apartments. Matt installed the project's networks, allowing accessibility to a variety of users and their various needs, in his position as the Network Administrator. He became General Manager of the project, overseeing finances, construction, facilities, board meetings, and much more.

An Eagle Scout now, Matt has been a scout for 16 years and has worked for the Monkeyclaus Recording Studio, Wintergreen Police Department, and Salem & Roanoke School Systems.

“The leadership opportunities and organizational skills are what impress me the most about the Boy Scouts,” says Matt. Obtaining Eagle Scout status involves proficiency in those skills, and, Matt adds, “a value-based lifestyle that sustains the prestige of the award for not only the Scouts, but the greater community as well.”

When Matt found out about a work opportunity at Interpretive, he was excited twofold: about the career aspect—since he was considering getting back into teaching or information technology—and about the community opportunities since he grew up near Charlottesville. Matt joined the team this past June, and responds to questions both technical- and content-related associated with the StratSim line of simulations. His favorite thing about the company is it's “dapper and topnotch staff.”

Matt's take on simulations is that they “provide a low-risk environment where students learn by making decisions.” He finds that Interpretive simulations possess a high degree of realism. So far, he has worked most closely with the StratSimMarketing simulation, and finds that all StratSim products provide the “spirited rivalry” students really enjoy in the classroom.

Although he can't deny his love for “good ole Nelson County, Virginia,” Matt does admit that Salzburg, Austria comes in second on his list of places to live because “it's hard to beat castles, Mozart and the Alps.”